Finally over 4 me.

After hunting 16 days this archery season (3 of those were full days), I was able to see my 3rd deer this morning. Yes my THIRD of the season. I hope some other hunters are a little worried about the Venango County/2F deer population.
Please don't think the deer are just nocturnal, we have cameras out on old trails. The apple trees have rotted apples under them, the acorns are under the oaks by the hundreds. We got a few pictures of a squirrel under the oak trees, but that's all. The farmers have had little if no crop damage. I have hunted these same funnels, draws, fields, and thickets for years. In previous years I have seen as many as 30 deer in a morning, until the last few years. I am surrounded by posted property that has no hunting on it, and still the population has dropped horribly! I fear this area is going to be like the Allegheny Forest some day.
 
What can be done to insure there will be deer here in the future for our children? Very few will throw away Doe tags , few will just shoot bucks, and few will stand together against the PGC about this...J.T.
 
 
 

just saying i live in venango county and hunt both local and 2f ... the deer are there , this is all i can say ill post some pics of a trail cam i have right behind my apartment building

It seems as though you can ask 10 guys who all hunt within a 10 mile radius in a low deer density area and you will find 2 of the 10 will say there are plenty to be had.  For whatever reason, food, cover, pressure, etc will make some areas clearly better than others.  If you have one of those areas, be glad for it and take care of it.  Just my opinion.

Sorry to hear about your experiences this year, waspman.  Seems the best solution to me would be to become active in your direct hunting community by organizing like minded individuals to help your herd recover, in spite of the PGC over allocation of doe tags.

I repeat what ready2fish said, I give the same advice for those complaining here in 2F too ...


I even tried several new spots this early fall season and found 3 that were good to great and 3 private properties that royally sucked.. 2 of those where I never saw a single deer in a couple trips there .. NONE... won't be back there any time soon...

I found one new good spot and in three trips there I saw over a dozen different deer.. lots of sign, food and cover.. it may be here I go on opening morning instead of my hemlocks.. ????

the days of sitting on the same stump year after year and waiting for the deer to get pushed by are gone .... you actually have to HUNT for them now ... and waiting for the opening day to start that hunt may not be the best thing to do....

Ready2 fish...Moving is what I am best at. I hunted 7 locations this year.                                                                            
 
Dr.Trout....The property is aprox 2 miles square.I guess what puzzles me the most is the lack of deer sign.I hunt hard and no 4 wheeler either. After 25 years of achery, I found that alot of work pays off. I have shot the last 16 bucks,and more than 20 doe hunting Pa and OH with a bow in my life.I have a good track record for all the work I put in.  You can be Fred,Jacky,Ted, or outdoor channel king. If there are no deer, it doesn't matter who you are, or how hard you hunt..rifle or bow.
 
Outdoor Adventures.... That question will gather lots of opinions. The change from 3 days of Doe hunting to 2 weeks of Doe (with buck)..That was when the population started down. My 2 cents.